Queerying Lent 4B

River Needham, MA queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Numbers 21:4-9
The Israelites set out from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds to skirt the land of Edom. But the people grew restless on the journey, and the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this miserable food.” The Becoming One sent flying snakes against the people. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died.

The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned by speaking against the Becoming One and against you. Intercede with the The Becoming One to take away the serpents from us!” Moses interceded for the people.

Then the Becoming One said to Moses, “Make a winged figure and mount it on a standard. If anyone who is bitten looks at it, she will recover.” Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when anyone was bitten by a serpent, she would look at the copper serpent and recover.

Queeries for the text:
Where do snakes fly?
What do we complain about? 

What is biting us today?

Who and where is God amidst the pandemic of flying snakes and coronaviruses?

Where is recovery?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

 

 

Gospel: John 3:14-21

Jesus said:

¹⁴“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the One Born of Woman be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in the One may have everlasting life. 

 

¹⁶“For God loved the world in this way: Ze gave Zers only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have everlasting life. 

 

¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Those who believe in the Son are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. ²¹But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

 

Queeries for the text:

Who is Jesus talking to?

How did Moses lift up the serpent? Why?

How does and doesn't grammar matter?

What is salvation like today?

Who is light?

What happens with too much light?

What do we hide? Why?

 

What are your queeries?

 

 

Queerying Pentecost A

River Needham, M.A., queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Numbers 11:24-30

Moses went out and reported the words of the Becoming One to the people. He gathered seventy of the people’s elders and stationed them around the Tent. Then the Becoming One came down in a cloud and spoke to him; They drew upon the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they spoke in ecstasy but did not continue. Two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in camp; yet the spirit rested upon them—they were among those recorded, but they had not gone out to the Tent—and they spoke in ecstasy in the camp. A youth ran out and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!” And Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant from his youth, spoke up and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you wrought up on my account? Would that all the Becoming One’s people were prophets, that the Becoming One put Their spirit upon them!” Moses then reentered the camp together with the elders of Israel.

Queeries for the text:
How do we gatekeep people from our movements?

How is gatekeeping a helpful construct?

Who are the prophets who are ignored?

Who are the prophets we overhonor?

What do you have to say to the church today?

Who do you need to listen to?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵Now there were devout Jewish people from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jewish born and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your children of all genders shall prophesy, and your youth shall see visions, and your elders shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, of all genders, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Becoming One’s great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Becoming One shall be saved.’

Queeries for the text:
What kind of wind is violent?
What else can tongues do besides rest on people?
How else does communication happen on earth?
What bewilders us?
What is happening to native languages now?
What does this mean?
Who is prophesying today?
What visions are coming to people today?

What are your queeries?

19th after pentecost year b - numbers

This queery is brought to you by our periodic contributor, River Needham.

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
⁴And the mixed multitude that was among them fell to lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: "Would that we were given flesh to eat! ⁵We remember the fish, which we were able to eat in Egypt without thinking about it; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; ⁶but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nothing except this manna to look to."

¹⁰And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every leader at the door of their family tent; and the anger of the Becoming One grew considerably; and Moses was displeased.

¹¹Then Moses said to the Becoming One "Why have you dealt ill with your servant, and why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people upon me? ¹²Have I conceived all these people? Have I brought them forth, that you should say to me: Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father carries the sucking child, to the land which you did swear to their parents? ¹³When should I have flesh to give to all these people, for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat. ¹⁴I am not able to bear all these people by myself, alone, because it is too heavy for me. ¹⁵And if you deal thus with me, kill me, I ask you, out of hand, if I have found favor in your sight; and let me not look at my wretchedness." 

¹⁶And the Becoming One said to Moses: "Gather unto me seventy of the elders of Israel, who you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring these elders to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 

²⁴And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Becoming One; and Moses gathered seventy of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent. ²⁵And the Becoming One came down in the cloud, and spoke to Moses, and took from the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. ²⁶But there remained two in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were among those recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." ²⁸And Joshua, the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: "My lord Moses, shut them in." ²⁹And Moses said unto him: "Are you jealous for my sake? I would prefer that all the Becoming One's people were prophets, that the Becoming One would put Xyr spirit upon them!"

Queeries for the text:
What are we missing?
How do we lust for flesh today?
What kinds of flesh do we lust after?
What are our unwritten expectations of God?
How does God meet our unwritten expectations?
How is Moses a nursing father? What does this mean?
Where else does 70 show up in the Torah?
Why is Moses despondent? How do we respond when dealing with depressed people? How can we make that better?
Is the Spirit zero-sum?
How can Joshua deal with a polyamorous God?

What are your queeries?

lent 4 year b - numbers

Numbers 21:4-9

⁴From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea,

     to go around the land of Edom;

          but the people became impatient on the way. 

               ⁵The people spoke against God and against Moses,

                    “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt 

                         to die in the wilderness?

                    For there is no food and no water,

                         and we detest this miserable food.” 

     ⁶Then the Sovereign sent poisonous serpents among the people,

          and they bit the people,

               so that many Israelites died. 

          ⁷The people came to Moses and said,

               “We have sinned by speaking against the Sovereign and against you;

                    pray to the Sovereign to take away the serpents from us.”

               So Moses prayed for the people.

               ⁸And the Sovereign said to Moses,

                    “Make a poisonous serpent,

                         and set it on a pole;

                              and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 

                    ⁹So Moses made a serpent of bronze,

                         and put it upon a pole;

                              and whenever a serpent bit someone,

                                   that person would look at the serpent of bronze 
                                        and live.

Queeries for the text:
Where is Mount Hor?
Does the melodrama of the Israelites belong on a soap opera?
Is God a Slytherin?
How is there be both no food and yet "miserable food" that is detested?
Can God actually be good if God sends poisonous serpents among the people?
Did God want people to die?
Do we as humans ever recognize our sin without being punished or facing negative consequences?
What was Moses' prayer for the fickle folks who had spoken against him and God?  Did he take a page out of Jonah's book?

What are your queeries?